[SMM Steel] Iranian Slab Returns to Export Market as Buyer-Seller Price Gap Persists

Shandong mines and beneficiation plants quoted 64-grade alkaline powder, dry basis, pre-tax, acceptance, ex-mine at 759 yuan, down 12 yuan WoW. Steel mills lowered prices in tandem. After the holiday, steel mill purchases returned to a normal pace, some miners saw shipments slow down, and some continued to fulfill long-term contract orders with no inventory pressure. Overall, the market was relatively stable; mines and beneficiation plants were affected by lower imported ore prices.

Malaysia's steel unit price index rose 0.1-5.1% y-o-y in most areas of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak from September 2025 to September 2026, DOSM said. Perak led with 5.1%, then Johor at 4.8% and Tawau at 3.8%. Cement prices gained 0.6-7.4% y-o-y, led by Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan at 7.4%. M-o-m, steel indices fell 0.2-1.6% in September 2026, with Johor down 1.6% and Sibu and Miri down 1.3%. Average prices for mild steel round bars and Mycon 60 high tensile deformed bars dropped 2.4% to 817 USD/tonne (3,431.90 ringgit/tonne) from 830 USD/tonne (3,484.20 ringgit/tonne) in August. The building cost index with steel bars eased 0.1-1.3% in Peninsular Malaysia, 0.1-0.7% in Sabah and 0.1-0.5% in Sarawak. Cement averaged 25.80 ringgit per bag, flat.

To thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and all plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, and to put into practice Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions, in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations on Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspection Work, and with the approval of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the third round of the seventh batch of central ecological and environmental protection inspections has been fully launched. Two routine central ecological and environmental protection inspection teams have been formed to conduct routine inspections of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs respectively, with a stationing period of one month. At the same time, three special central ecological and environmental protection inspection teams have been formed to conduct special inspections on pollution problems in karst caves, sinkholes, and valleys in Hubei, Hunan, and Guangxi (three provinces/regions), Chongqing and Sichuan (two provinces/municipalities), and Guizhou and Yunnan (two provinces) respectively, with a stationing period of approximately two weeks.